


The Second Accident

by tifwill



Series: The Kiseki Files [11]
Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-17
Updated: 2016-05-16
Packaged: 2018-06-08 22:53:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6878137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tifwill/pseuds/tifwill
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Someone takes a little revenge on Kiseki during one of her races.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Accident

"Ki-chan!" Haruka screamed. She watched in horror as her daughter's race car flipped numerous times in the air, came back down, bounced back into the air, and flipped some more. She didn't think that her little girl was going to survive this. Her car had flipped a total of 19 times and was now lying on its top. Tears streamed from Haruka's eyes as she ran as fast as she could over to her daughter's over-turned car. "Ki-chan," she whispered as she fell to her knees, looking for her child.

Kiseki opened her eyes slowly. Her head was pounding and she realized that her helmet wasn't on anymore. She tried to move her arms so she could undo her belt and get out of the car but she couldn't. Her left arm was pinned to her side and she knew that her right one was broken in at least two places. Her shoulder was dislocated and her wrists and fingers were broken. The windshield and windows had shattered and the broken glass cut through her racing suit and sliced through her skin. She bled badly from the waist up and she wasn't sure ifshe would live. She seen Haruka and felt a tinge of hope. "Daddy," she managed to whisper before she passed out.

Haruka managed to get her daughter out of the car. She was surprised that the vehicle hadn't exploded but didn't think anything of it as she held her child in her arms. She carried Kiseki over to the grass and laid her flat on her back. Just as she did, the teenager's emergency team showed up.

Chris, one ofHaruka's friends from America, put a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "We're going to take care of her, Haruka."

Haruka looked at him through swollen, bloodshot eyes and nodded. He told her to call Michiru and let her know what hadhappened. She walked a few feet away and pulled out her cell phone. She only had two numbers programmed into the device; Michiru's and Kiseki's. Fortunately, the last number that she had called was her wife's so the phone automatically dialed the number. She waited anxiously for Michiru to answer and after a few rings, she finally did. "Michi, you have to go to the hospital. Kiseki," She stopped short when Michiru cut her off, saying that she knew that her daughter was going to get into an accident one day. "No, it wasn't her fault. That stupid bastard Takachi rammed her twice." She looked over at her daughter as she was being lifted into an ambulance. "Michi, just go to the hospital. I'm on my way there now with the ambulance." For the first time that she could remember, she hung up on Michiru. She ran to the back of the ambulance and jumped in. She sat down next to the stretcher that Kiseki was lying on. The officials had called off the race just as the ambulance left the track because they knew that Takachi had purposely rammed the girl. Looking down at Kiseki and closing her eyes, she silently prayed that her daughter would be all right. She wanted to hold Kiseki's hand but she was afraid to.

After a few minutes, Kiseki's eyes fluttered open. She couldn't move as she was strapped down to the stretcher. Another second later is when she felt the unbearable pain shooting through her body. Out of reflex, she yelled and started crying.

Haruka'seyes shot openwhen she heard her yell. "Ki-chan, calm down," she said, trying to soothe her. "You're going to be fine." Something in the back of her mind told her that she wasn't completely correct but she shook it off.

Kiseki took a deep breath. "What happened?" she asked between sobs. Another jolt of pain shot through her body and she cringed.

Haruka didn't want her little girl to think about the race right now. "Don't worry about it. It got called."

"Oh," Kiseki said. "It must have been something pretty bad then. I didn't hurt anyone else, did I?" She closed her eyes and tried not to think about her pain.

Haruka was amazed at how well Kiseki was handling this. She knew that the teenager was in immense pain. She shook her head. "No, you didn't. Now stop talking. You need to try and relax."

Kiseki closed her eyes again but her dad told her to keep them open. She tried to think of what happened during the race and the last thing that she could remember was Takachi, Yuikazi ramming into her side of the car. Then everything went black. Then she felt the ambulance stopping.

Haruka was glad to know that they were at the hospital. "Ki-chan, listen to me. Whatever happens, just stay strong, ok? I'm right here for you and your mother's on her way." She saw tears of nervousness welling up in her daughter's eyes.

Kiseki totally ignored the pain as her dad bent down and kissed her forehead. "I love you, daddy," she whispered.

Haruka smiled, attempting to comfort her daughter. "I love you too, okami." Just as she finished her sentence, the back doors flew open and Kiseki was taken out and rushed inside. The blonde hopped out of the vehicle and looked around for her wife.

Michiru had gotten out of her car the second that the ambulance had pulled in front of the emergency room doors. She seen Haruka getting out of the ambulance and rushed to stand in front of her. "Ruka!" she said as she flung her arms around the taller girl. "Where is she? Is she ok? What happened?" she asked in a rushed panic.

Haruka let go of Michiru. "She's inside, I'm pretty sure she's going to need surgery for something, and if I tell you what happened, you'll probably end up in jail for murder," she explained.

Michiru took a deep breath to calm herself. "Just tell me what happened. Please?" She took Haruka's hands into her own. "I need to know," she pleaded.

Haruka sighed. She knew she was going to regret telling her. "Remember Takachi, Kouta? The guy who had a real problem with me racing a few years ago?" She seen a glint of anger in Michiru's eyes. When her wife nodded, she continued. "Well, his son races now. He's been in the last few races that Kiseki's been in and has lost to her every time. I guess he didn't want to lose today. He rammed her twice; once in the bumper and then again in her driver's side door."

Michiru felt more anger flowing through her at that moment than she ever had in her entire life but pushed it aside for the time being. All she cared about now was her child. "Let's go inside," she said, turning towards the doors.

Haruka followed the senshi of the sea into the hospital. She felt herself moving forward but it didn't seem real. She felt like she was living out her worst nightmare. "That's because I am," she thought. She and Michiru sat in the waiting room, looking for anyone who could tell them what was going on with Kiseki.

They waited for 45 minutes before a tall doctor, just a little bit taller than Haruka, came up to them. "Are you the parents of Tenoh, Kiseki?"

The pair stood up and nodded. "Is she all right?" Michiru asked quickly. She was holding Haruka's hand and squeezed it when the doctor hesitated to answer her.

The doctor sighed. "She's in pretty bad shape right now, but she'll be fine in a few weeks."

"What, uh," Haruka started. "What all happened to her?" She prepared herself for the inevitable. She knew through personal experience how bad a racing accident could be but this seemed different.

"Nothing life threatening," the doctor said with a twinkle in his eye. "Do you want to know the specific injuries?" The couple nodded and he nodded himself before continuing. "Starting from the bottom, her left ankle was broken. She suffered multiple fractures in both legs. She, uh, sustained a broken pelvis. She has a total of seven broken ribs; four on the left and three on the right." He stopped for a moment to regain his composure. "Her collarbone was broken and shifted on the left side. Her right shoulder was dislocated and the right arm is broken in four places. Both wrists and all of her fingers were broken. She suffered aminor sprain in her neck. Was there broken glass involved in this accident?" Haruka nodded at him and he sighed. "There's a deep laceration across here." He took his index finger and pointed just under his right eye, dragging it up and over his eye and across his forehead to his hairline in a slanted line. "She also has a mild concussion."

Michiru was horrified. She wondered how her daughter had survived with all that. She squeezed Haruka's hand again, turned, and buried her face into the blonde's shoulder. She instantly felt her wife's other hand on her back, consoling her.

Haruka rubbed Michiru's back. "She's going to need surgery, isn't she?" She didn't know why she asked; she already knew the answer.

The doctor nodded. "That's where she is now but there's no need to worry. We've got our best surgeon in there." He turned to walk away, but stopped. Turning back to look at them, he said, "You've got one very lucky and very strong little girl. She'll be ok." He gave them a small smile before walking away.

Haruka let go of Michiru's hand and hugged her hard. "She's ok." She chuckled quietly. "She's stronger than either of us."

Michiru let herself go and just enjoyed being in Haruka's arms, as selfish as it seemed at the moment. They hadn't been able to just hold each other in quite some time as they were never both in the same place at the same time. Either she was at one of her art shows or Haruka was at the track, helping to train Kiseki.

Haruka let go of her wife and looked into her eyes. "Let's sit down and wait," she offered. Once she was seated, she let her head fall back and closed her eyes. After a little while, she looked over and found Michiru staring at the clock. "Baby, I don't think having a staring match with the clock is going to make time go by any faster." She reached out and intertwined their fingers. "Relax. I know you're nervous. Hell, I am, too."

Michiru let go of Haruka's hand, stood up, and sat back down on Haruka's leg, wrapping her arms around the blonde's neck and lying her head on her arms. She felt Haruka put one hand on her back and the other on her knee. "I am beyond nervous," she whispered.

Haruka rubbed Michiru's back again. "She's going to be ok. At least she's still alive." She couldn't help but think that the accident was partly her fault. She's the one that let the girl race and because of it, she was lying on an operation table.

They had been waiting for three hours when Michiru fell asleep, still sitting in Haruka's lap. Anotherfour and a half hours later, Kiseki's surgeon stepped in front of them and Michiru woke up with a start. "I'm sorry." Michiru nodded as did the surgeon. "Everything went fine with her surgeries. There were no complications at all. I have to commend you both. You have one really healthy teenager." The two smiled weaklyand then his pager went off. He looked at it quickly and then looked at them again. "I have to go. Kiseki is in recovery right now. You can go see her if you want. She maystill bea little bit groggy though." He turned and started to walk down the hall before the pair could thank him.

"What room is she in?" Haruka said loudly.

He turned his head but didn't stop walking. "318," he said as he stepped into an elevator.

Michiru thought for a moment. "That's on the third floor," she yawned. She stood up from Haruka's lap and gave a stretch.

Haruka stood up and stretched also. "Let's go. She probably wants us there anyway." She took her wife's hand and led her to the elevators, pressing the "up" button quickly.

They took the first elevator up to the third floor, hating every moment of it. The contraption took forever to close, there was nonoise other than that of the two breathing, and took an eternity to make it to third floor. They were glad to get off the elevator and make it to Kiseki's door. They braced themselves for the sight that they were about to take in, expecting to see her in a full body cast. What they seen when they opened the door wasn't as bad as the had expected, but it looked pretty bad.


	2. Family Involvement

Kiseki lay on her bed, eyes closed, breathing slowly. She had stitches that ran across her face where the broken glass had cut her. Other than that, her face had several purple bruises and a few smaller cuts and scratches. There was a sheet that started at her neck and ended at her hips because both of her legs were cast-covered and suspended in the air.

"Ki-chan," Haruka whispered. She closed her eyes and titled her head down. "I'm sorry."

Michiru looked at her wife in confusion. "Haruka, this isn't your fault." She took the blonde's hand and squeezed it to encourage her.

Kiseki heard her parents and felt relieved. At least she was still alive. "Daddy," she barely whispered.

Haruka lifted her head and looked at her daughter. She thought she had heard the girl say something but dismissed the thought. That is, until she heard her speak again.

"Daddy, this is my fault. I should've paid more attention," Kiseki said a bit louder. She tried to open her eyes but decided not to once she felt the pain of the stitches.

Haruka shook her head. "I never should have let you race." She said it out loud but it was meant just for her to hear.

Kiseki took a deep breath. "Daddy, stop it. This wasn't your fault. You couldn't have prevented it from happening. You never could have known that Takachi was going to do that." She wanted to see her parents so badly. She knew that her right eye was cut but she didn't think that there was anything wrong with the left one. She figured that it was just sore. Slowly, she opened her left eye only. It was difficult; she was so used to having both open at the same time. It took a moment for her eye to adjust to the bright lights of the room but she found her parents quickly. She noticed that her dad was close to crying and that her mother was pretty pissed off.

Michiru let go of Haruka's hand and turned towards the door. She walked out of the room before anyone could say anything to her. She made her way to the elevators, intending to leave and go to the Takachi residence.

Haruka didn't know whether to follow her wife or to let her be.

"Let her go," Kiseki said. "We both know that she won't actually do anything." She wanted to know the full extent of her injuries. "What happened to me?" she asked quietly.

Haruka sighed as she sat down in the lone chair that sat in the corner. "Do you really want to know?"

As Haruka explained the injuries that their daughter had gotten, Michiru sat in her car on the phone. "You weren't at the race, were you, Takachi-san?" she asked Yuikiazi's father. She didn't hate anyone or anything as much as she hated this man. "He almost killed my daughter today. We let all the other incidents slide but this time, he's gone too far." He told her that she couldn't do anything about it. "You're wrong, and you're going to find out just how wrong you are." With that, she hung up. Just as she set the phone on her passenger seat, it rang. It was Yuikazi's mother, Nashiko. She was apologizing and begging Michiru not to sue them over what had happened. She and Michiru had been good friends during high school and regularly kept in touch through much complaining from Kouta. "Nashiko, please calm down. I didn't want to sue you guys." Nashiko suggested two things: that Yuikazi pay for Kiseki's hospital bill and that he quits racing. "That sounds good to me, but you'll have to talk to Haruka about it." She didn't feel like dealing with it so she passed it on to her wife. "I'll have her call you about it later. I'm going back up to Kiseki's room. Bye." She hung up the phone and placed it back on the seat. Getting out of her car, she noticed a camera coming towards her. She instinctively knew what they wanted: an interview. Not from Michiru, the artist or the musician, but the mother of Kiseki. She turned to the hospital doors quickly and walked inside, ignoring the camera crews and news reporters that were shouting her name. They didn't stop following her until she was inside the doors. She put the event out of her mind as she made her way back up to Kiseki's room.

Kiseki had forgotten to breathe once her dad was finished explaining her injuries. She took a deep breath and let it our slowly. "I'm surprised that I'm still alive," she whispered.

Haruka watched as her daughter stared at the ceiling. "By all accounts, you shouldn't be," she started. "But we are so grateful that you are. Your mother and I wouldn't have been able to deal if you had died."

Kiseki looked at her dad and smiled. "I'm not going anywhere any time soon." She chuckled lightly then grimaced in pain. "Man, this sucks. I've got finals this week." She was referring to her final exams at her high school.

Haruka shook her head. "I don't think you'll be taking them. It's not like you need to anyway." Her child had Michiru's mind only about twenty times better.

Kiseki knew that she was smarter than just about everyone in her grade level but she never bragged about it with the other students. She did that in elementary school and lost a lot of friends. "Ok, forget about finals. What about the tournament in America? I definitely can't play football (soccer) with all this."

Football was Kiseki's life, even more than racing, and Haruka knew it. "That's not for another two and a half months. I'm sure you'll be fine by then."

"I better be," Kiseki said angrily. "There's more coaches and scouts that are going to be there than I originally knew of." She turned her head and looked at the door as her mother came back in. Looking back at her dad, she said, "I told you."

Michiru walked over to Kiseki's bed, bent over, and kissed her daughter's forehead. Standing back up, she looked at the teenager. "How do you feel?"

Kiseki closed her eye. "A little tired," she said after a brief pause. "And the morphine is starting to wear off."

Haruka stood up and walked over to her two girls. "You should sleep. You're going to need all your strength," she explained. "Do you want one of us to stay?"

Kiseki thought for a moment. "You don't have to. You guys can go home if you want but can you call Kenji and let him know that I'm all right? Please?"

Otooshi, Kenji was Kiseki's boyfriend of a year and a half now. They met during Kiseki's sophomore year. She was training with the boys' football team, of which Kenji was the senior captain. They met, more specifically, when she stole the ball from him and scored on their so-called "unbeatable" goalkeeper. They started dating a little less than two weeks after that and have been nearly inseparable ever since.

Haruka nodded. "I'll call him when we get home." She took Michiru's hand and glanced at her quickly.

Michiru didn't want to leave her daughter's side. "Are you sure you don't want one of us to stay with you?"

"Yeah," said Kiseki. "Don't worry about me, mom. It's not like I can get hurt anymore than I already am. Now, go home." She didn't mean to sound like she was telling her parents what to do, but that's just how it came out.

Michiru admired Kiseki's ability to keep a sense of humor about this situation. "Ok. I'll see you tomorrow." She bent over and kissed her child's forehead again.

Haruka smiled. It never failed to amaze her just how protective Michiru was of Kiseki. She chuckled quietly and shook her head. "Come on, Michi. She'll be ok." She watched as her wife stood up and looked at her. "Bye, okami."

Kiseki didn't say anything. She just tried to relax and go to sleep. The morphine that the nurse had given her a while ago had just about completely worn off now but she ignored as much of the pain as she could. After a little while, she finally fell asleep.

As Haruka and Michiru were walking towards the doors of the hospital, Michiru noticed that about twenty more camera crews had shown up in the short amount of time that she was with Kiseki. "Ruka, can you deal with them? I've got a headache," she pleaded.

Haruka gave her wife a sympathetic look. "Don't worry about it, honey. I'll meet you at the car in a few," she said, then kissed her.

They exited the doors together but Haruka stopped to talk to the people while Michiru took off, heading for her car. She sat in the car by herself for only a few minutes before her phone rang yet again. Feeling rather annoyed with it, she was going to just turn it off. That is, until she seen that it was Setsuna calling. She answered it quickly.

Haruka stood in the center of a ring of cameras and microphones, being asked a hundred questions all at once. She answered as many as she could before she broke through the throng of people and machines, walking away from them and looking for Michiru's car. Once she spotted it, she walked to it quickly, opening the door and getting in before one of the cameras could be shoved into the vehicle. That was when she realized why Michiru had gotten extra tint on her windows. She sighed heavily as she attempted to relax in her seat.

Michiru hung up her phone just as the blonde got in the car. Before throwing it in the back seat, she turned it off. "That was Setsuna. She and the others were at the palace watching the race. They've, uh, been trying to call your cell but you've got it turned off."

Haruka gave her a confused look. "No I don't," she said as she unclipped her phone from her belt. She looked at it and felt a little embarrassed. "Um, that's because my battery's dead." She had to laugh at herself. "I guess it died after I called you."

Michiru chuckled and shook her head. "You forgot to charge your battery last night and didn't have time to this morning because you were late, right?" She knew that Haruka and Kiseki were out late last night with Kenji, Makoto, Minako, and Rei for Makoto's birthday. She couldn't go because she had been invited to play a charity concert. One other thing that she knew was that Kiseki would never be late for anything. "She probably had one of her team members pick her up since she knew that her dad wouldn't be on schedule," she thought.

"Yeah," Haruka said. "I was a little late." She shook her head again. "Anyway, what else did Sets say?"

Michiru shrugged. "They want us to stay there tonight. Usagi figured that it would be easier since the palace is closer than the house."

Haruka clipped her phone back onto her belt and nodded. "Let's go then."

Michiru nodded and started the engine. She waited until everyone had moved out of her way before she started moving forward.

They drove in silence. At the palace gate, they were let through with no questions, as usual.

Michiru couldn't help but feel like she was abandoning Kiseki. She put the car in park and looked over at Haruka.

The blonde could tell what was on her wife's mind. "You shouldn't worry so much. She's in good hands."

Michiru exhaled deeply and nodded. After she and the racer left the car, they walked hand-in-hand into the palace and into the main hall. The first person they seen was their king and princess Rini.

Out of habit, the two senshi bowed and Chibi-usa laughed at them. "You guys just don't get it," she said as she walked over to them, hugging them both. She looked around with a puzzled look when they separated. "Where's Kiseki?"

Mamoru placed a hand on Chibi-usa's shoulder. "Chibi-usa, can you go and tell your mother and the others that they're here, please?" He watched as his daughter nodded and walked away, clearly confused. He looked back at the girls and shrugged. "She didn't see the race. Actually, she just got back about fifteen minutes ago."

Haruka nodded. "Today's her birthday. She was with the other girls at the fair, right?"

Mamoru nodded. "She wanted Kiseki to go with them but," he stopped short when he seen Michiru squeeze the other girl's hand. "I'm sorry."

Michiru waved with her other hand. "Don't worry about it."

They all stood there, saying nothing for what seemed like eternity until they heard the sounds of footsteps. Many footsteps, loud and fast. It would be hard to sneak up on someone in the palace as the floors amplified almost every single step, no matter what kind of footwear you were wearing.

Usagi led the way as she and the other senshi, and their partners and children, walked quickly to where Mamoru and the two girls stood. "I'm so sorry," the queen said as she pulled them both into a hug before they had the slightest chance to bow.

When Usagi let them go, they exchanged hugs with the other senshi and the children that knew them.

Even Kenji was there. He had become best friends with Setsuna's son, Daisuke during his senior year, meeting him through Kiseki, and had gone with the other boy to watch his girlfriend's race. Since Daisuke had to work in the morning, he left before the race was over. The accident had Kenji freaking out and threatening to kill Takachi. "Is she all right?" he asked urgently.


	3. A Confession

Haruka looked him in the eye and seen pure worry. "Yeah, she's fine. She's just going to be in the hospital for a while." She caught how relieved he looked and was proud of her daughter for finding a boy who truly cared about her.

Kenji let out a breath. He had been so tense since he witnessed the incident that he had moments when he would forget to breathe.

Michiru smiled at him, trying to comfort him. "She wanted us to tell you that she's ok. I think it would be a good idea for you to go see her tomorrow."

Kenji nodded. "You wouldn't mind?" For a boy his age (19), he surely didn't act like it. He had exquisite manners and always thought about other people's feelings before saying or doing something. Most mothers would have thought of him as a gift from God.

Michiru shook her head. "I'm sure it would make her feel a lot better if you were with her."

Kenji did his best at putting a smile on his face, even though it was obviously forced. Granted, he was ecstatic that Kiseki was all right, but now he felt nothing but anger for the man that did this to her.

Haruka could sense his anger. "Kenji, don't worry about that guy. He's not important," she pointed out. She could tell that he was still angry but not as much.

Kenji showed no emotion as he lowered his gaze to the floor. "I'm sorry. I think I should be getting home now."

"Nonsense!" Usagi cried. "You're a part of this family now. You can stay here tonight with the rest of us." She looked around at the other senshi and they all nodded their approval.

Kenji looked at Usagi and bowed. "Thank you, your highness." When he looked at her again, she was glaring at him. He had the distinct feeling that she was annoyed.

"Another thing, since you are 'family,' you do not have to be formal with any of us," the queen explained. She hoped he would do better to remember it better than her friends did.

Kenji nodded, feeling a slight bit out of place. "Thank you," he said again.

Usagi looked around. "Well, it's late. I believe you two have had a hard day so you deserve a good night's sleep," she said to Haruka and Michiru. "You two know where your room is, as do the other senshi. Everyone else, please follow me and I'll show you to your rooms."

Again, it was Haruka, Michiru, Mamoru, and Chibi-usa standing together in the main hall, saying nothing.

"All right," Haruka said, breaking the short silence. "I think I'm going to go to bed now. Good night."

The couple left the hall and went to the room that they stayed in so often. They kept a few outfits there in case of spur-of-the-moment situations like this. They changed into some sleepwear and crawled into the bed.

Michiru cuddled up close to Haruka, resting her forehead in the crook of the blonde's neck. She sighed before saying, "Today kind of sucked."

Haruka chuckled. "That it did. Can you imagine how Kenji must have felt when he seen it?"

Michiru propped herself up on her elbow and looked her wife in the eyes. "I know exactly how he felt: the same way that Kiseki and I felt when you crashed two years ago."

Haruka chuckled nervously. "Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. I'm sorry." She grinned sheepishly.

Michiru lied back down and sighed. "I thank God everyday that you survived that." She hugged the blonde tightly as she spoke.

Haruka hugged her back and kissed the top of her head. Her wreck had been much worse than Kiseki's and put her in the hospital for all of Kiseki's freshman and part of her sophomore years in high school. She was released just after the end of her baby's tennis season. "Don't worry. Nothing's going to happen to either of us. Kiseki's a survivor and I'm…..well, I'm too stubborn to go anywhere, I guess."

Michiru smiled. "I love you, Ruka." She moved up and kissed Haruka's cheek before relaxing and going to sleep. She was so emotionally-drained that as soon as she found a comfortable position, she instantly fell asleep.

Haruka fell asleep just a few minutes later, after watching her wife rest peacefully.

Down the hall, Kenji lied awake in his bed, still feeling out of place and angry. Thinking of his girlfriend usually calmed him down but not tonight. Tonight, all it did was make him angrier. He had always known that Yuikazi would take any chance he got to remove Kiseki from the sport of racing, pulling off any stunt he would need to. As hard as he tried, he just couldn't sleep. "Damn, I wish I had my car," he thought. He wanted to go to Yuikazi's house and beat him, either bloody or to death. "Stupid bastard," he whispered to himself. "I'll get him back." Some time late, he did finally fall asleep, but it wasn't very restful. He had only been asleep for three hours when Haruka came into his room the next morning, waking him up. He sat up and looked at her through sleep-filled, exhausted eyes.

Haruka gave him a warm smile. "Good morning." She noticed his bloodshot eyes and wasn't surprised. "Didn't sleep well, did you?"

Kenji shook his head slowly, clearly in need of at least another hour's sleep. He got up from the bed, tired as he was, and walked to the doorway where Haruka stood. "My car is at your house. Can you take me back to get it, please?"

Haruka waved. "Don't worry about it. Michiru and I were going to go see her now. We can take you."

Kenji nodded. "You sure? I don't want to be a burden," he said as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his sports jacket.

Haruka reached over and place a hand on his shoulder. "You worry too much. You won't be a burden." She checked him over to see if he was decent enough to go out in public. "Go do something with your hair and let us know when you're ready."

Kenji nodded and watched as Haruka walked away. He went to the bathroom across the hall from his room and looked in the mirror. He had one major case of bed-head and he had to laugh at his appearance. Turning on the water faucet, he put a little in his hair and smoothed it down. When he was pleased with his results, he nodded to himself and turned to leave and find Kiseki's parents. As he was about to enter the main hall, he almost ran into Mamoru.

Seeing that he was going to fall, Mamoru grabbed Kenji's shirt. "You all right?" he asked when the boy regained his balance.

Kenji nodded and fixed his shirt. "Sorry about that. I wasn't paying attention," he explained.

Mamoru waved. "It's ok. Thinking about Kiseki?"

Kenji shrugged. "Yes and no," he said as he put his hands back into his pockets. "I'm still kind of mad."

Mamoru nodded. "I understand. I'd feel the same way if something like that had happened to Usagi." He looked over his shoulder and glanced at the blonde.

Usagi looked up from Makoto's daughter, Yoko, just as Mamoru had looked at her and smiled.

Mamoru smiled back at his wife. A thought crossed his mind at that moment and he turned back to Kenji. "You love her, don't you?"

Kenji went bug-eyed. He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. He took a breath and nodded. "Is it that obvious?"

Mamoru chuckled softly. "It is right now."

Michiru spotted Kenji and walked over to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Ready?" she asked quietly. She was still tired and it showed.

Kenji nodded and turned back to Mamoru.

Mamoru looked at the aqua-haired senshi and gave her a half-smile. "The rest of us are going to go see her later."

Michiru nodded. "Haruka and I won't be long." She turned and looked at Kenji. "Have you decided how long you want to stay with her?"

Kenji shook his head. "She might want me to stay with her all day, but then again, she might not."

Michiru nodded understandingly. "Well, we're going to get out of here. Thanks for everything, Mamoru."

The man smiled. "You're not staying for breakfast?"

Michiru shook her head. "We were going to stop somewhere on the way."

Mamoru nodded. "Ok. We'll see you later," he said as he turned and walked away.

Michiru looked at her daughter's boyfriend. "Let's find Haruka and get going," she suggested.

"Ok," Kenji muttered, following Michiru into the main hall where all the senshi and their children were gathered. He started feeling out of place again when he seen how close everyone was. It only got worse when Minako came over and hugged him. Not wanting to seem rude, he hugged her back.

Makoto noticed his uneasiness and put her hand on her girlfriend's shoulder.

Minako let go of Kenji and turned to Makoto, who wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Let's go, Kenji," Haruka said. She looked at Usagi and smiled. "We'll see you later then?"

Usagi nodded and watched as her friends and Kenji walked away. After they had left the main hall, she chuckled.

Ami looked at the blonde in confusion. "What's so funny?

Usagi shrugged. "They didn't bow this time," she said with a slight laugh.

Kenji sat in the back of Michiru's car, trying not to fall asleep.

Haruka, who was driving, looked at him through the rear-view mirror. "You ok back there, Kenji?"

"Yeah," the boy said quietly. "I'm just tired." He yawned just as he finished his sentence.

Haruka smirked and then focused back on the road. She pulled the car into a drive-through doughnut shop, similar to today's Dunkin Donuts, and bought them all some breakfast sandwiches before pulling into a parking spot to eat. "Do you have to work today?" she asked once she was finished eating.

Kenji shook his head. "Not unless I want to. Why?"

"We were wondering if you could stay with Kiseki for the day," Michiru said as she turned in her seat to face him. "We know it would help Kiseki feel better to have you around."

Kenji took a quick but deep breath. "I'd like to but I don't have a way home."

Haruka looked into the rear-view again. "I'll pick you up when visiting hours are over. Or I can pick you up earlier if you call the house. Either way, it doesn't matter to me."

Kenji thought for a moment. "That sounds like a good idea to me. As long as Kiseki thinks so, too."

Michiru chuckled softly. "She will."

Haruka started the car and left the parking lot. All was silent the rest of the way to the hospital.

Once there, they all got out of the car and made their way to Kiseki's room, Haruka leading the trio. She seen her child's door standing open and knew that all was well. She peeked around the door's frame and into the room just as a nurse was walking out. She smiled flirtatiously at the young nurse unconsciously.

"I swear," Michiru said as she rolled her eyes." Some days, I wonder why I even married you," she said jokingly with a fake frown. She had to fight back a laugh when her wife pouted.

Haruka stuck out her bottom lip and pretended to cry. "I'm sorry, Michi."

Kenji gave a small chuckle and walked past them, entering his girlfriend's room.

Kiseki looked much better than she had the previous day. Her smaller, less serious cuts and bruises had all but disappeared and her more serious ones were healing well. Now she had no problems in opening only her left eye, but it was still a little bit sore. She seen someone come into her room and tried to focus on them. She smiled brightly when she realized who it was. "Kenji!"

Kenji smiled – really smiled – for the first time since the accident. "Hey. How are you?" he asked as he stopped and stood next to her bed.

"Well," Kiseki started. "I've certainly looked and felt a lot better." She looked at her cast-covered legs and snorted, then looked back at her boyfriend.

The boy ran his hand over her hair, being careful to make sure he didn't touch her stitches. "You still look beautiful to me," he whispered.

Kiseki blushed and giggled. A moment later, she was silent as she looked into his steel grey eyes.

After a few moments, he bent over and placed a kiss on Kiseki's still-bruised lips. When she jerked away from him, he knew he had hurt her. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Kiseki cursed her lips for being so sensitive at the moment. She smiled, hoping to make him feel a little bit better. "Don't worry about it. As a matter of fact, come here." She would have just tugged on his jacket but on account of her fingers being broken, she couldn't. Although it hurt like hell, she kissed her boyfriend strongly.

Outside of the room, Kiseki's parents watched as their daughter and Kenji shared their "special moment."

"They make a great couple. Don't you think so, Michi?" Haruka whispered.

Michiru shrugged. "He's a great kid. As long as he doesn't hurt my girl, it doesn't really matter."

"Now," Haruka said playfully. "Do you mean me or Ki-chan?" She received a light punch in the arm and laughed.

Kenji ended the kiss and stood up, smiling at his "broken" girlfriend.

Kiseki stared at him right back, fighting a laugh though she didn't quite know why. "Probably because he looks so tired and worried," she thought. "Are my parents here?"

Kenji nodded. "They're outside right now." He looked over towards the door and realized that they had been watched.

Haruka started to go into her daughter's room with Michiru following her. "Hey, Ki-chan." She stood next to Kenji and looked down at the girl.

Kiseki smiled again. "Hey."

Michiru sat down on the edge of the bed. "Feeling any better?"

The teenager nodded. She chatted idly with her parents and boyfriend.

A little while later, Haruka and Michiru decided to leave, but not before they warned Kiseki that the other senshi would be dropping by later in the day. Kiseki didn't mind at all as long as Kenji could stay. They all knew that she was going to say that but, still, they found it funny.

Kenji sat on the edge of his girlfriend's bed once her parents left. He let out a long yawn and looked at Kiseki quickly when she chuckled. "What?"

Kiseki smiled and cocked her head. "You barely slept, didn't you?" She nodded and continued after he confirmed her suspicions. "I didn't think you would." Her smile faded just as quickly as it had appeared. "In all honesty, I thought that you'd be in jail for attempted murder, along with my mother."

Kenji reached over and lightly stroked his girl's blonde hair. "I thought about it."

Kiseki gave him a tiny smile. "I'm really glad that you didn't," she said quietly. She looked down at her hands and frowned. "It's amazing."

Kenji gave her a confused look and said, "What's amazing?" He ran his hand over Kiseki's hair again.

The teenage girl sighed. "How much I took for granted. Like, just being able to hold your hand."

Kenji recognized how miserable his girlfriend felt and wished he could do something about it. He knew he couldn't, though, so he did all in his power to comfort her. As he continued to stroke Kiseki's slightly-oily hair, Mamoru's words ran through his head. "I love you, Kiseki."

To Be Continued


End file.
